San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler began not standing during the national anthem before his MLB team's games last Friday in protest of the direction of the nation, acting in the wake of the Texas school shooting. However, he stood during the anthem before the Giants' game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Memorial Day yesterday (May 30th). He said on his blog yesterday, "Today, I'll be standing for the anthem. While I believe strongly in the right to protest and the importance of doing so, I also believe strongly in honoring and mourning our country's service men and women who fought and died for that right." Kapler wrote on his blog Friday about the school shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead, and which came just 10 days after a supermarket shooting in Buffalo, New York, in which 10 Black people were killed by a gunman driven by racist hatred. Kapler wrote, "Every time I place my hand over my heart and remove my hat, I'm participating in a self congratulatory glorification of the ONLY country where these mass shootings take place." Kapler said yesterday that he wasn't ready to announce whether his protest will resume tonight, stating, "I want to have my thoughts perfectly formulated. I will formulate them and I will share them."
Photo: Getty Images